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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Friends, Silver Sisters, this is so exciting!!! THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!!
I've FINALLY found gray-specific haircare products that I truly love, work wonders and don't make me feel older than I want to feel! Win-win-win!
I'm thrilled to introduce you today to ................WHITE HOT!

When White Hot'swonderful box from the UK arrived, it was like opening gifts on my birthday. GOOD gifts! The nicest woman named Charlotte, from White Hot's PR & Marketing division contacted me a coupe of weeks ago. She'd come across the blog and wondered if I had ever heard of White Hot's products and if I would like to try some! I was absolutely ecstatic because I HAVE heard of White Hot before and I HAVE been to their website, drooling over their range and wishing that they were also sold in the US. (Good to note that you can have White Hot shipped to you outside of the UK for 10 pounds!)

I was really happy to get this generous offer from Charlotte and White Hot. I told Charlotte that I'd be happy to write a blog review and she said that I needn't feel obligated to, that she just wanted to start a conversation about gray hair. I have had such a great experience with White Hot's shampoos, conditioning mask, daily conditioner and styling products though, that I would really really like to share with you. These are too good NOT to talk about!

First, here's a bit of back story about the White Hot brand, because it's just wonderful.
Founder Jayne Mayled had given up coloring her hair, and was encouraged by her hairdresser, Nicola to first "change what was in her head before she changed what was on her head." By this Nicola meant, that Jayne needed to learn to embrace her naturally gray color and learn to love herself first. Isn't that a great statement!? It's true, going gray and daring to show your white hair to the world, it can be such an emotional journey. That's what I love about White Hot's philosophy, it's not only about a group of products made to care for women's gray hair needs, but the company also aims to support and celebrate this beautiful way to be in the world! They are actively starting dialogues about what it means to be gray in our society, and to work against some of the old taboos associated with letting your silvers shine through.
You can read more about the White Hot story HERE, and if YOU want to join in on White Hot's positive, poignant conversations about your hair, please visit their wonderful Facebook page, just as I have!

My beautiful box of products arrived smelling wonderfully. That's the first thing that I noticed, the soft, powdery scent was so nice. Each item was wrapped in lovely tissue paper with a sticker, and there was a sweet note tucked inside. HOORAY! It felt like my birthday AND Christmas!
Here's what I found........

First, there are two shampoos, Brilliant Shampoo and Glorious Shampoo. Brilliant Shampoo is meant to be used once or twice a week when you need some instant brightening of your hair. You know, when the whites start to look a bit dulled, brassy or yellow? Well, if you're like me, you've tried "purple" shampoos before to lift the dullness.... Brilliant Shampoo was DIFFERENT though! Forget your Grandmother's purple shampoo from the 50's, Brilliant Shampoo was luminescent and smelled wonderfully! Nothing old about this shampoo, only sparkle. I couldn't believe how bright it made my hair, taking away the yellowing from layers of hair styling products and using my curling iron. Not only did my hair brighten, but it was soft and shiny. This shampoo is the best!I truly have yet to have as much whitening and brightening with a gray-hair specific or clarifying shampoo until now.

I also tried with my Brilliant Shampoo, White Hot's Intense Lustre Mask, a deep conditioning treatment that left my hair more tangle-free, softer, bouncier and shiny than it's been in a while. This is a wonderful, regenerative product. I highly recommend! It feels luscious and hydrating. The perfect way to pamper your hair and look your best.

After washing and conditioning my hair, I've been applying the Lifeshine Oil. A few pumps, warmed in your hands is all that you need to make your hair shiny and smooth. It also heat protects which is a big deal! I love this oil, it feels like another conditioning step, one that doesn't weigh your hair down at all, only helps to make it sparkle and shine!

Now comes the fun part. Once I've washed and dried and styled my hair, I use the product with the great name - Shooshing Creme! It's a luxurious whipped mousse of a cream. It smells wonderfully. Shooshing creme works to style and hold everything in place without adding dullness to your hair. It even, as they say, adds "Oomph in a flash!" What more could you ask for? Shooshing Creme works for all styles by the way. For days when you want to look sleek, and other times when you're going for body and curls.

After using the Brilliant Shampoo and Intense Lustre Mask, I chose to try the Glorious Shampoo and the Luminous conditioner together the next day. The Glorious shampoo detoxifies your hair, but is gentle enough to use daily. It had my hair feeling squeaky clean and again bright and shiny!
The conditioner made my hair soft as can be, and smooth too. Together, the Glorious Shampoo and Luminous Conditioner left me with more luster and manageability than any other daily shampoo/conditioner combo I have tried. It was really that great.

So my verdict: YES!
I truly feel that White Hot has a unique product that does what it says it will, truly cares about the spirit and emotions of those living with gray hair, AND delivers everything in a way that says: HOORAY! GRAY IS GORGEOUS TOO! You nourish you hair and your soul! And who wouldn't want that!? :)

I've tried for days now to get a decent shot of my hair after using White Hot to share with you. Unfortunately, the combination of having a week's worth of super hot and humid days, and rain, and the fact that we fairly unexpectedly became the parents of a PUPPY last weekend, it just hasn't been conducive to any "good hair days" style-wise. There's been little time to do my hair and I've been outside morning, noon and night in the misty weather.

But, it's important to me to show you how much White Hot's products have brightened my hair. I really love what they do. So I'd like to share this photo from this morning in some natural light. Ignore the NON-style of my hair, and rather focus on brightening and softening that the White Hot products have done for me!
Also ignore the puffy-eyed exhaustion. This is what happens when you're outside begging a puppy to go potty in the middle of the night for days. :)

And there you have it my friends! I hope you found this review helpful and can enjoy your own experience with White Hot products too!

Oh! And a very nice reader asked a GREAT question.....White Hot products are luckily paraben-free and not tested on animals! :)

Until next time......I've got to go take the puppy out!

xoxoxoxoxoxo,

Lauren :)

*** For full disclosure....White Hot Hair has not paid me for this review. They did generously offer to provide me with free samples of their products so that I could give them a try. All of my opinions about the White Hot Hair products are my own. ***

Thank you so much.You have a great question. I feel like you can start using products for gray hair as soon as you have enough that you care about keeping bright and shiny! :)Over time our gray hair can dull from environmental pollution, UV rays, build up of styling products and using heat styling tools. Products like White Hot will make your silvers shine! Even if you are just 1/3 gray, you can still make a difference and help your grays look their best. I hope this helps. Thanks for the great question!xoxoxoxo,Lauren :)

Your hair looks fantastic. Seeing pictures of you and your going grey blogs are what made me give up the dye (despite most people thinking I am crazy!) I am 12.5 months in to growing it out. I cut the majority of the red out in July and am left with about .5" to 1.5" of red remaining on various parts of my head. Can't wait until it ALL gone and I can grow my hair long again. You are an inspiration! I came for the hair posts but enjoy all aspects of your blog. Thanks for the entertainment and all the tips!-Terri

I have been following your post for months and am proud to say I have made it!!! Got the last yucky color cut out yeaterday and now I am ALL NATURAL! Would love to try the White Hot products. They sound fabulous! Your hair looks great too! Do I see doggy gates in the background? LOL! Let dog in...let dog out...let dog in...let dog out...............

Hi Lauren! I just cut my pixie last week and am looking forward to having all the color cut out at my next appt. My stylist wants to do a few highlights to "transition easier" but I'm not sold on it. But maybe. Anyway, I just turned 33 on Tuesday and I'm finding this whole thing very emotional. I guess that's normal. Sigh. But I want to have long bouncy gray hair like yours so you continue to inspire me. Can't wait to see how the products work out. :)

Dear Anonymous friend who DID IT!!! HOORAY!!!A biiiiiiiiiig congratulations. It's time to celebrate your beautiful, new YOU!!!!I'm thrilled for you. :)Thank you for your nice comment. I was just saying, isn't it great that we have the internet to brings us together so we can encourage each other? <3

And yep! Doggie gates! If you haven't seen it, check my post from the other day. We have a new family member! And yes, EXACTLY....we're inside and outside back and forth ALL day. :)Thanks again!xoxoxo,Lauren

I am sending you a big hug right now, as I so vividly remember those emotional days. (>'-')>My heart is going out to you and I'm sending strength and cheer for fast growing hair!You are right, this whole thing IS emotional, but I promise you Mimi, it goes quicker than you think it will and when you're done, it fades into just a memory. And then...no more hair dye! Healthy, shiny hair! It's great! :)

I hope you're rocking your new pixie cut and having some fun with it for a while. And if you want highlights to blend, great! And if not, that's still great! You just follow your heart and go easy on yourself during this transition.

You WILL have soft, bouncy hair in no time, so please hang in there. Thank you for your nice comment Mimi!

HI all! Lauren, your hair looks fabulous! I can't wait until all mine has grown out and I can use products specifically for gray hair. I'm still using my normal shampoo and thankfully it doesn't seem to be treating the gray badly.

Congrats on the puppy. I have cats too, would love a dog but sadly our schedules just don't allow it, wouldn't be fair to the dog. And my 14 year old cat may have something to say about it. Haha.

Mimi - you should take your stylists suggestion about the highlights to blend it in more. I did it back in July and was so grateful. It looks more "natural" as it grows in. Give it some thought.

I also cut it about 2 weeks ago into a very short layered bob. I had to get rid of some of the fading brown and am SO glad I did. There's more on my head though, I'll probably visit my colorist in a few weeks to see if he can do anything. I just don't like the faded brown color. Looks brassy. I'm sure he can work magic.

Funny story for all of you going through the process.. Earlier this week our IT guy was in the office. I think the last time I saw him was in the Spring. He walked into my office to say "HI", and said, Oh my God your hair, I love it! Told him I was growing it out and he said THAT'S COOL, LOOKS GREAT. Made me feel great.

Another coworker - just today - mentioned he liked my haircut and asked when I had it done (we don't see much of each other because we're at other ends of the office). Told him I cut it about 2 weeks ago and I'm growing it out. He said Whoa..thats a big decision. Good for you!

What a great comment! I'm so happy for you! I'm glad that you like your new short, layered bob. It's sounds adorable! And what awesome comments at work! I love it! And from men none-the-less. Sometimes I wonder if men can be just as or even more supportive than women in the "just go for it!" department?Well, congrats, congrats. It sounds like things are going great!xoxoxoxoxoxo, Lauren :)

Thank you for your comment. I do understand. If you've been following my blog for a while, you might have heard me talking about staying away from as many harsh chemicals in beauty products as I can!

When I was first introduced to White Hot, I wondered if I felt open enough to use products that were not strictly organic. (My daily shampoo, conditioner and styling product are almost exclusively organic and/or synthetic/chemical-free.) After I learned that White Hot was Paraben-free, I felt better. (At least in the U.S., it feels like anything non-organic is full of parabens!)

So, for me, what I have tended to do, is use my daily organic beauty products, make up, moisturizer, hair care, etc ..... and then on occasion, I might use something like White Hot which is not organic, but acceptable for me once in a while. I feel as though there are some products out there that give me a result that my daily product might not be giving.

All of us Silver Sisters know from this whole gray experience, that it's all about personal choices. I get that! :)Thanks again for your comment!Lauren

Thank you so much for writing, that is a great question about the scent and one personally important to me.

I'm also sensitive to certain fragrances. In fact, if they are too strong, some can give me an instant headache and sinus pressure. I'm guessing you might know about this as well, and it's not fun!

In all honesty, I sadly ran out of my White Hot shampoos and a couple of months ago, so I can't pick one up to smell it and describe the scent in person. Here is what I can say, and what I can remember. WH's shampoos and conditioners were definitely less fragrant than other "purple" shampoos or for gray hair shampoos that I have tried. I loved WH because the scent was much lighter and also, much less "chemical" in smell. From what I remember, it is a "powdery" scent and less floral. I have issues with some floral smells and highly synthetic, strong scents. What Hot was pretty good!

I remember Aveda's Blue Malva shampoo not being too offensive and a more natural shampoo. Also, Shikai makes a platinum shampoo that has a lower scent and is quite natural. I like to all of these product in the tab listed "My Favorite Products" near the top of my home page.

I hope this helps. If you find one that you like and that is low-scent, please let me know. I'm always on the look-out for that too! :)

I tried Aveda's Blue Malva and while I liked the color effect and low smell, it dried my hair out terribly. I've also used the Shikai and it did an OK job color-wise, nothing earth-shattering. The reasonable price and subtle, inoffensive scent are pluses though.

The White Hot line is quite pricey and only available from the UK, as far as I know. So there's the additional cost of shipping. Do you know if there's a dealer here in the US?

All I know is, your hair looks fantastic and if WH is the reason I want me some of that?!

Oh sure, my pleasure!You have good points about all of these different products. I love WH, but as of now, they don't seem to have a US distributer. I think they'd like to in the near future though! I love their products and I do hope they're worth the shipping. Everyone's hair is different though, so I'd hate to say "yes" and then have you be unsure. I have heard two people say that they like the "Joico" purple shampoo and that that is sulfate-free. Have I mentioned that one? I saw it on Amazon. Also, to be honest, I infrequently use the Jhirmack Distinctions Silver Plus shampoo and conditioner and that works well with brassy tones. It's totally not "natural" but I just use it once in a while. Along those lines, I tried Pantene's Clarifying shampoo. Again, to only be used once a week or so and honestly, I REALLY think that brightened my hair as much or more than the purples. I'm even confused myself! I guess it's all about trying. Hmmm....I think the Joico is sulfate-free, that's what a reader said, so that one might be less drying. I hope this works Ann!!! Please let me know if you find one that you love! Have a great day. :)xo, Lauren

Lauren, I've been following your going gray story for a while, and it was your transition that prompted me to start my own. I'm only a few months in, and it feels like it's taking forever. I'm not tempted to color it - other than to try to tone the brass out of the stuff that's growing out because it looks SO ORANGE next to the gray - but I'm feeling a little daunted by how far I have to go, and just how long I'm going to be in this grow-out phase. Thanks so much for sharing your story and for all the encouragement you provide to the rest of us who are trying to get there.

I'm so sorry for this late reply. I just wanted you to know that you're NOT alone in your feelings and that when you're in the middle of things, they can feel sooooo slow. The amazing thing is, somehow, as you near that finish line, things start to move more quickly, you feel better, ore confident and more excited to see that end look! \(^-^)/

You are strong and brave and I'm sure a role model to women who see you. :)All the time and hardship is really worth it. The freedom from hair dye and being able to be yourself, it's just so life changing!!!!

Sending lots of love and cheer and a hug. (>'-')>xoxoxoxoP.S. My hair was orange too! I used henna before I decided to stop coloring my hair. Each little inch of growth helps. You'll get there soon! In the meantime, picture the finish line and that will help! <3

Hi! Stumbled across your blog looking for White Hot reviews. I am growing out my grey, maybe about 70% there. It's a struggle as you know, but I am beginning to like it and feeling a little more confident. Your hair looks amazing! :)

My question is how do you like the WH products now? Are you still using them? For the other commenters above, you can now get WH products sent to the US via places like LifeandLooks and feelunique. I am going to try the Brilliant shampoo from them. :)

Hi there! Thank you for your question and comment and a BIG CONGRATS on being 70% there!!! That's wonderful!!! :)I absolutely adored my WH hot products. To be honest, I have yet to order any from the UK. I've run out of my shampoos and conditioner, but I still have and use the styling products. I would love to order more and I still think they are fantastic products!Thanks again for writing!

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